TRANSPORTATION
Smaller tax options can be better focused
I would encourage the Legislature to open the door for smaller T-SPLOSTS. The transportation system as a whole does need more money. But the size of the area (10 counties in metro Atlanta) that voted on the last one was only part of the problem, and not the main part. The biggest thing that needs to change is that the projects on the list need to be chosen for their analytically demonstrated effectiveness in reducing congestion — instead of just based on politics.
BOB IRVIN, ATLANTA (former Georgia House Republican Leader.)
HEALTH CARE
All should contribute to the common good
The letter writer who wants only Democrats to pay for Medicaid expansion (“Expand Medicare? Let Democrats pay,” Readers write, Jan. 22) highlights the divide that has resulted in national gridlock. Federalism dictates that we sacrifice for the common good, and all benefit. That’s how we can have public roads and shared defense. If we want to live in a society that has a “me-first” and a “let them eat cake” mentality, then we should sign up for the plan outlined in that letter.
SALLY MCDONALD, CHAMBLEE
ECONOMY
Encourage marriage, highlight skilled trades
It is not the economy that is producing unfair results; it is the anomie, the social instability caused by a breakdown of families. If we are serious about getting a handle on the problem of income disparity, we must figure out how to promote marriage and to discourage the growing tendency toward single-parent homes. And instead of the current emphasis on college degrees, we must find a way to promote high school diplomas and apprenticeships for the trades. Plumbers and electricians do quite well in this economy.
DENNIS BALLOU, ATLANTA
POVERTY
Dog’s life better than that of many children
My dog, Teddy, has a life that millions of people would give anything to have. He sleeps in a king-sized bed in a warm home with lots of rooms and gets regular exercise and grooming. He eats whenever he likes and naps on a comfy sofa in the sun. He has no worries and is completely secure.
All the while, children in this country go to sleep hungry and sleep in cars. They wash up in the bathroom of a gas station, and many never know where their next meal is coming from. It is a very sad commentary on a country that is supposed to be the world’s greatest.
We are overflowing with self-righteous people who speak of human rights abuses in Third World countries, and we push them to treat their citizens better. Yet we callously refuse to look introspectively and do what is needed in our own backyard.
R.E. ELAM, Marietta
